Election for the governorship of the U.S. state of Virginia
For related races, see 1965 United States gubernatorial elections.
1965 Virginia gubernatorial election
← 1961
November 2, 1965
1969 →
Nominee
Mills Godwin
Linwood Holton
William J. Story Jr.
Party
Democratic
Republican
Conservative
Popular vote
269,526
212,207
75,307
Percentage
47.9%
37.7%
13.4%
County and independent city results Godwin: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Holton: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Story: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60%
Governor before election
Albertis Harrison
Democratic
Elected Governor
Mills Godwin
Democratic
Elections in Virginia
Federal government
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U.S. House
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Statewide
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v
t
e
In the 1965 Virginia gubernatorial election, incumbent Governor Albertis Harrison, a Democrat, was unable to seek re-election due to term limits. Linwood Holton, an attorney from Roanoke, was nominated by the Republican Party to run against Democratic Lieutenant Governor of Virginia Mills Godwin.
George Lincoln Rockwell, an avowed white supremacist and founder/leader of the American Nazi Party, ran as an independent candidate.
Godwin won the election with a plurality over Holton and Story. Story's strength mainly came at the expense of the Democrats as counties in Eastern Virginia that had been won by Democrats with sixty to seventy percent shrank to forty or fifty percent. Story ran best in the Piedmont region of the state, while Holton ran best in the traditionally Republican Shenandoah Valley and Southwest Virginia.
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